Protect Me
by That English Kid
Summary: Matt Casey finds that a girl is saving the lives of people who are in incidents he is called out to. Will he be able to find her, or will she remain a mystery? Dennie Cooper is new to Chicago. Her tragic past makes her want to help people she sees in danger. But who is protecting her? Is it luck or something entirely different?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N So this is my first Chicago Fire FanFic, I don't own Chicago Fire or it's characters, I do, however, own Dennie and any other character I have created. _

_This FanFic is also the first one that I have done that includes two POV's. I hope you enjoy, please review, tell me what you think :)_

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Dennie POV

I love the rain, always have. I was dressed for bed but the thought of walking in the rain was enticing me more and more every minute I stayed inside. I pulled on a red hoodie over my Imagine Dragons T-Shirt, put on my purple converse and ran out the door. I put my earphones in my ears and put my iPod on shuffle, turned the volume up slightly but I could still hear the sound of moving cars in the streets around me. I walked through the unfamiliar streets of Chicago with cool rain falling on my skin.

I walked until my calves started to twinge and tighten slightly. I turned around a corner hopeful that it would lead me back in the direction of my new home, only to find people stood outside of a house on fire. As I got closer the people were panicking and yelling to the second story window. I saw three young kids at the window crying and screaming for help. I had to help them, something was telling me needed to help. I took a deep breath and ran to the house, pausing for a second and taking out my earphones before I entered.

I walked in, keeping my head low. I saw something on the couch just in front of me, it was a girl. She was about my age passed out with an empty bottle of beer knocked over beside her. I acted fast and dragged her off the couch and out of the house. When I got outside the neighbours were staring at me like I was crazy. "What are you doing? Don't just stand there call 911!" I shouted running back into the house.

I ran straight up the stairs with my head low, I needed to save the kids. I touched the handle trying to open the door where the kids were screaming, I pulled it back quickly as the metal seared my skin. I had to get in there quickly so I stepped back and ran shoulder first into the door. It took three times before the door came loose and I could enter the room. There were two boys and a baby girl, all with frightened, tear stained faces. I told the boys that I was there to help and they needed to come with me to get outside. They nodded in agreement and the oldest boy, who was no older than ten, handed me the baby and grabbed my left hand tightly with his brother. We ran down the stairs and I could feel the flames touching my ankles, but I didn't care, we were so close.

We got out safely and a woman ran up to us hugging the boys. I presumed she was their mother, so I handed the baby to her and she said thank you over and over again. I just smiled at her then looked at the boys. The oldest one looked up at me and gave me a quizzical look when he spotted the necklace I was wearing. His concentration broke when flashing lights and sirens arrived in the street. I took that as my cue to leave, and ran off in the opposite direction.

Matt Casey POV

I took my mug of coffee to the table where Herrmann and Otis were trying to convince Cruz into going into business with them. We had a pretty slow day, only three call outs in four hours. It was dark now I didn't think anything else would be calling us out now. Everyone was going about their usual activities. Mouch was watching TV with Pouch, it was hard to think that he had once objected to keeping that dog, Mills was in the kitchen cooking, Gabby and Shay were gossiping about something and the squad guys were playing it cool by playing yet another round of cards. Everyone looked comfortable with what they were doing, I, on the other hand, was eager for something to do.

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. Residential fire, 287 Northridge Avenue." A voice said through the speakers. Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed to the vehicles suiting up once there. It wasn't a long drive to the fire, only a couple of streets away from the Firehouse.

We came into the street, and I saw a girl handing a baby to a woman. The girl's head snapped up when she saw us come closer and just as we stopped she sprinted off with a slight limp in the opposite direction. "Hey! Stop!" I called to her. She didn't stop, maybe she didn't hear me. I quickly put my focus on the fire. "Otis, hydrant. Mills, Mouch vent the place." I instructed. I went over to talk to the kids who were being attended to. A girl was passed out and occupied most of the attention from Gabby and Shay, so I talked to the oldest boy instead. "Hey, is there anyone else in the house?" I asked softly. The boy shook his head, so I informed my men. I turned to face the boy again. "Do you know the girl that ran off?"

"No, but she saved us." The boy said.

"Do you know if she's hurt?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said shrugging his shoulders. "All I saw was her purple shoes and her necklace. It was really cool, it was green and twisted."

"Ok, thank you." I said. With that I waved Shay over to check the kids while I went to help my men and Severide's men tackle the fire.

We got the fire under control relatively quickly, it was out soon after. By the time the fire was out the kids and their mother had been taken to the hospital. We packed up the engines and drove quietly back to the Firehouse. Once there, everyone carried on doing the activities they had left about an hour before. I looked at the nearly full mug of cold coffee and decided to take a shower instead. I couldn't get that girl off my mind. As I showered questions were going around my head. Why was she at the fire? Who was she? Why was she wearing shorts in the rain? I couldn't answer the questions, and the shower didn't clear my head as I thought it would. I needed to lie down, that usually cleared my head. I turned off the shower, got dressed and headed to my office. I laid on the bed and rested my head on the pillow allowing sleep to overcome me.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N So the updates might be a little slow, but keep checking because even I don't know when there could be a new chapter. Don't forget to review :) Enjoy._

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Dennie POV

I woke up from a deep sleep with the sun shining in my eyes. I was well rested for waking up at only 6:45am. I sat on the edge of my bed and yawned, covering my mouth with a bandaged hand. I had forgotten about the burns during the night, I had forgotten about how bad they were. I unwrapped my ankles to find them slightly raw and not stinging too much when I touched them. I took off the bandage from my right hand and winced when I saw how bad it was, my previous burns were never that bad. I put on my jeans carefully so I wouldn't catch the burns on my ankles. I changed into my Hedley T-Shirt and put on my lion socks with great difficulty. It was hard putting on clothes with a burned hand but I slipped on my purple converse and just stood in the middle of my room. I stood there for a moment contemplating on what I was going to do. I grabbed my blue hoodie, phone and iPod from the foot of my bed and headed outside to go on another adventure of the "Windy City".

I walked about eight blocks away from my house in the opposite direction I had gone in last night. There were more parks around this area and a lot of school buses, so I must have been somewhat close to a school. I was halfway down the street when an explosion erupted behind me. I dialled 911 as I ran to the house. "Help there's a fire at 418 Paloma Boulevard!" I yelled into the phone. As I opened the door to the house, I slipped my phone back into my jeans pocket. "Is anybody in here?" I yelled hoping for a reply. Thick orange flames were coming out of the kitchen and creeping up the stairs. I heard yelling coming from upstairs. I ran up the stairs and found a man banging on a door. "Are you OK? You need to get out!" I said to him.

"My son, Matthew, he won't come out!" He yelled. Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Is there anyone else besides Matthew?" I asked. The man shook his head in response. "Go, I'll get him." I told him. "Go!" I watched him hesitantly run down the first two steps then put my focus on getting the door open. My shoulder was still sore from yesterday's actions and I couldn't put myself through the agony of burning my other hand on a blistering hot door handle. I took my keys out of my pocket in search of a tool I could use to unlock the door. I unfolded the Swiss army knife my father had given to me years ago, and put the smallest knife into the lock. I turned the knife and pushed the door with my sore shoulder until it opened.

I walked into the room low shouting Matthew's name. The room was filled with smoke, and every time I took a breath I allowed smoke to seep into my lungs. I quickly checked behind the bookshelf and under the desk. I looked under the bed and found him with his eyes shut tight and tears running down his cheeks. "Matthew, I'm here to help you. Come on let's get out of here." I said firmly. I offered him my hand and he accepted without hesitation. He crawled out from under the bed quickly and we ran down the stairs and out of the house together.

As soon as we emerged from the house a fire truck and ambulance came to a stop. Matthew ran into the arms of his father who was overjoyed that his son was now out of danger. I gave them a small smile while they weren't looking and ran down the street as fast as my legs would take me, when the Firemen opened the doors of their vehicle.

Matt Casey POV

I awoke from my slumber by the sound of lockers being slammed shut. I got up from the bed in my office with only coffee currently on my mind. As I walked through the hallways my mind wandered, and once I reached the coffee machine the girl from last night's fire was back on my mind. I sighed and took my mug of freshly poured coffee to the table where Shay, Mills and Severide were sitting. I felt Severide's gaze burn into my skull as I took a drink of the warm coffee.

"Casey, what's up man?" Severide asked. I sat for a moment thinking about what to say, but yet again all I could think of was that girl.

"Just that fire on Northridge Avenue last night," I said. "The girl that was there, the one who ran off, why did she do it?"

"Do what? Run in?" Shay asked. I nodded my head in response.

"Maybe she felt like she had to," Mills said. "I mean she must be really brave."

"Or lucky," Severide said. The three of us laid our eyes on him. "Well she could have gotten hurt. So I think she's either really lucky or protected by something." Mills and Shay nodded in agreement and carried on drinking their coffees and eating breakfast. I sat in silence thinking about what Severide had said.

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61. Residential fire, 418 Paloma Boulevard." Informed a voice from the speakers, breaking the uneasy silence. I ran to the truck and suited up quickly, with my colleagues following behind me. Cruz got the truck started and we were off to the location. Otis complained for the whole journey about how, just once he would like to drive. I was relieved when we pulled up to the house.

"Casey." Mills said pointing out of the window. A girl came out of the house with a boy, she looked familiar. The boy ran to a man crouched down in front of the house with his arms open wide. As soon as Cruz and I opened the doors of the truck the girl ran off away from us.

"Cruz get the hose, Otis open the hydrant, Mills and Mouch vent, Herrmann get the ladder." I instructed. I walked over to the man and the boy. "Excuse me; is there anybody else inside the house?" I asked, the man shook his head and I told that to the men. I turned away while Gabby and Shay came over but the man grabbed my arm.

"That girl saved my son. She just ran in and saved my son, she's a hero." The man said. It sounded as if it was the same girl from last night, I had to make sure.

"Did you see if she had anything unique about her?" I asked.

"Just her necklace; it was twisted, and green." He replied. It was the same girl. This was the second fire in two days. What was she doing? Why was she doing it?

Gabby and Shay had taken the man and his son to the hospital whilst we were putting out the fire. The fire was mostly in the back, in the kitchen, so it was quite easy to put out. After the flames were put out we packed the truck back up, closed the hydrant and made our way back to 51. The journey was quiet apart from Otis who was still complaining about not being allowed to drive.

"So, how was it?" Severide asked with a grin on his face when we arrived back at the Firehouse.

"She was there again," I told him as I sat down at the table. "Saved a boy, ran off. Kelly, I don't get it."

"Maybe she's a fire bug." Severide commented. I sighed and put my head in my hands.

"What are you going to do Casey?" Mills said behind me. "Are you going to try and find her?"

"I think I have to." I answered, with my head still in my hands.

"But how?" Mills asked.

"I have no idea." I replied.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Finally got this chapter done! Please review and tell me what you think :) Enjoy!_

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Dennie POV

The pounding in my head intensified, I tried to ignore it and stay asleep but my body wouldn't allow it. I sat up quickly but the sudden movement caused me to cough making my head throb and my lungs burn. I sat for a while staring at the bedroom door thinking about nothing. Howling and whining snapped me out of the trance I was in. The dogs had sensed I was awake and they craved attention. I got out of bed slowly and walked out of my room. My two German Shepherds were staring up at me from the foot of the stairs, I was glad I had them to keep me company. Looking at them I thought of my dad and how I missed him so much. The phone rang. I made my way down the stairs as fast as I could without inflicting too much pain on myself. Swallowing nervously I picked up the phone. "Hello?" I asked.

"Dennie, its dad. How are you sweetheart?" My father asked. I paused for a moment, wondering if I should tell him the truth or not.

"I'm fine dad," I lied. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I'd be better if I was home though." Dad said. We talked for about an hour, talking about almost anything but I didn't mention the fires. Part of me believed that he knew I wasn't fine and something was going on, but I was glad he didn't bring it up. For a moment we sat in silence.

"Dad, I miss you." I said.

"I miss you too darling," he said back. "I have to go now; I'll talk to you soon. I love you Dennie."

"I love you too, dad." I said trying to hold back the tears. The phone call ended and I let the tears fall down my cheeks in silence.

I went upstairs and had a quick shower, hopeful it would relieve some of the pressure inside of my head. It worked slightly but there was still a slight throbbing sensation. I grabbed the bottle of headache pills from beside the sink and shook two into my hand. I swallowed them dry as I walked to my room, it would take a while before they would start working. I got dressed quickly as my stomach was growling, at one point it was so loud I thought one of the dogs were behind me. I ventured downstairs, wearing jeans, a green T-Shirt and a grey Ed Sheeran hoodie, in search of food.

I looked in all of the cupboards, but they were bare. I looked in the fridge but all that was in there was some Coke and vegetables. I needed to go shopping. I put on my purple converse and headed outside. I had to go on a bus to get downtown, I hadn't gotten my driver's license yet and I was regretting it. I sat at the back away from most of the people on the bus; I didn't feel like being very social today. I had been sat on the bus for ten minutes when it came to a sudden stop. I looked out of the window to see a big Dodge truck had smashed into a small red Kia. I had a sudden urge to get outside and help those people, but before I could stand up the bus moved quickly. I stayed seated and held the twisted green pendant of my necklace wondering what I would have done to help.

Matt Casey POV

Shift had finished slowly so I was glad when it was time to go home. I opened the door to my house to find that I really had to tidy up. There were bills on the coffee table that needed to be paid and old magazines and newspapers scattered around. I gathered up the newspapers and magazines and took them to the recycling bin. I walked back into the living room and tried to tackle the pile of bills. I opened a couple of bills but I couldn't focus on them. I felt like I had to run, it had been two days since I had been for a good run.

I ran through a maze of streets and didn't stop once. I didn't want to stop because I thought that if I stopped then I would think about things that were going on at work, with my family and with the girl. I ran until I was hungry then I slowed down. I kept walking until I found somewhere to eat; there was a small diner I had never been to when I turned the corner. It was a diner, I was hungry, it would do. I only thought about the food, about how good it was and how I had never realised this place was so close to my house. I paid for the food and thanked the woman behind the counter. I was ready to go home and face those bills.

I passed some familiar streets on the way home and when I doubled back I realised they were the streets where I had seen the girl come out of the fires. When I got closer to home I realised that those streets were really close, they were only eight blocks away from where I live. I got home and went straight upstairs for a shower, when I got out the phone was ringing. I ran downstairs in a towel and answered the phone. I talked on the phone with a woman who wanted someone to fix her deck. I had nothing else to do so I said I would be glad to help. I wrote down her address and when she hung up I ran upstairs to get some clothes on.

I jumped in the truck with the woman's address on a piece of paper in one hand and my keys in the other. I was driving for about ten minutes before I was stuck in traffic. I looked outside of my truck to see that a small red Kia had been struck by a big Dodge truck. . I started moving again when the bus, that was four cars in front of me, managed to turn the corner. I eventually got to the house at 12:10pm, I was ten minutes late, thankfully the woman wasn't upset at all she was just glad that I was actually there.

Nine hours later I was back home. I was sore and tired but I had fixed the woman's deck and the work made me forget everything I was thinking about before. My hands were rough and calloused and my joints were sore and stiff. I sat on the couch and a small sigh escaped my lips. I turned the TV on in search of something to occupy my mind. I was too tired to think and before I knew it my eyes were closed and I was on the couch sleeping with the TV still on.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N I enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it. Review please :)_

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Dennie POV

"Atlas, Calypso! Come on lets go for a walk!" I shouted. Seconds later two German Shepherds came racing towards me. I bent down to stop them but they just knocked me over and licked my face. I got up laughing and hooked the leads onto their collars. I looked outside and it had started to rain so I put on my coat over my purple cardigan. I left the house with the dogs pulling me forward into the rain which was cool and refreshing on my face.

We reached the park in record time because Atlas took it upon himself to take us where he wanted to go. I was glad I had Calypso in my right hand because she didn't pull so she didn't hurt my hand. I needed to get it checked out; it seemed as if it was getting worse, not better. We stayed in the park for half an hour, Atlas loved it he had his nose in everything. We left the park when the rain stopped; all three of us were soaked.

When we got home there was a man standing on the steps outside of our home. My hands started to shake and I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I walked up to the man and gave him a puzzled look. "Excuse me, can I help you?" I asked.

"Do you live here?" He asked me. I nodded and he handed me an envelope. Envelope in hand I unlocked the front door, let the dogs inside and then closed the door behind them. I bit my bottom lip as I opened the envelope whilst still outside with the man. I pulled out the sheets of paper and looked at them intensely. I gasped.

"This can't be right!" I shouted. "We already paid this!" I looked at the sheets of paper again. It said we owed over $3000 in medical bills. There had to be a mistake.

"No you didn't." He said calmly. I hated the fact that he was calm, it made me uneasy. I gave him another puzzled look. "If you look here," he said pointing to the paper, "You'll see that your mother's medical bills were paid, but not your own." I shook my head; I couldn't believe what he was saying. "You have until Thursday to pay it. If it isn't paid by then, we'll have to take further action." He added.

"What!" I shouted. "How do you think I'm going to get the money for it? We just moved here, I start school on Monday; I haven't got time for a job! My dad's overseas serving this country and I have to tell him this? And further action? You mean repo men and lawsuits don't you?" He didn't say anything; he just stood there waiting for something else to happen. "Uggh! Just go! Leave!" I shouted. I walked into the house and slammed the door. I leaned against it and started crying.

I ran up to my room and turned on the stereo and increased the volume. Still crying I ran to the bathroom and turned the shower on. I didn't wait for the water to warm up; I just stripped off my clothes and sat under the shower head. I sat there shouting and crying with cold water pouring down on me. I got out when I started shivering and when my throat started hurting from the screaming. I stood in front of mirror and looked at my reflection. I found every flaw. I hated the way I looked. I hated the scars and the memories and everything else about me.

I got angry at myself and ran off to my room. I got dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of faded jeans and a baggy plain white T-Shirt over my underwear. I didn't bother pulling out my necklace from under my shirt; I was so ashamed of myself. I started to cry again. The doorbell rang; Atlas and Calypso started barking, so I wiped tears off my cheeks and made my way over to the stairs. I saw a figure through the window in the door. My heart raced.

Matt Casey POV

The sound of the TV woke me up. I wasn't happy that I had slept with the TV on, and I don't think I was happy that I was awake. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:00am, there was no way I'd be able to fall back to sleep. I needed to wake up properly so I went upstairs and got changed. I set out for a run through the streets of Chicago, locking the door behind me.

I ran through streets and parks for two hours. It definitely woke me up. Every now and then the thought of the girl would invade my mind, but every time I just shrugged it off to think of what I would do when I got home. As I turned into my street all I could think of was the fact that I needed to pay those bills before tomorrow's shift. I slowed down to a walk when I came closer to the house. My new neighbour was out talking to a man on the steps.

I fumbled with my keys when I got to my front door, something was wrong at the neighbour's. She was shouting at the man on her steps but he kept quiet. I kept fidgeting with my keys I didn't want them to know that I was trying to listen to their conversation, well argument. It was getting really heated now, I heard her shout something about not having enough money and repo men, what was all of this about? I decided I would go over to see what was wrong but as I turned to go over she slammed the door and the man was leaving. I turned back, put the key in the lock, turned the handle and walked into my house.

I ran upstairs and turned on the shower. Whilst it was warming up I got a towel from the cupboard and took of my clothes. As soon as I stood under the warm water music was turned on, it was coming from next door. I thought it would be turned off soon but when I stepped out of the shower thirty minutes later the music was still on. I got dressed, went downstairs and put some coffee on the music was loud in my house so it must have been ear splitting next door. Something was wrong.

I ran to the house next door and rang the doorbell. The music was loud but I could hear dogs barking. I reached for the doorbell again but the door opened slightly as I rose my arm. I noticed the dog first, it was barking at me and trying to get out of the house, fortunately the girl had the dog in between her leg and the doorframe. I looked at the girls face, her green eyes were red and puffy, it was obvious that she had been crying and her brown hair was wavy and slightly damp.

"Who are you?" The girl said.

"Matthew Casey, I live next door." I said. She opened the door a little bit more. The light caught her hair making the red in her hair more vivid and when the light shone on her face her eyes changed from green to grey.  
"Oh," she said, running her and through her hair, the dog started to bark louder, "Atlas! Be quiet!" As soon as she yelled to the dog it stopped barking and ran off towards the back of the house. "Is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

"Well" I said, "Could you turn the music off? It's a bit loud."

"Yeah. Sorry." She said. I smiled slightly but she quickly turned and closed the door. Moments later the house was quiet. I was about to turn and leave but I heard something coming from the house. I leant forward towards the door and realised the sound was the girl crying. I knocked on the door. She opened the door and I was the tears on her cheeks. "I turned it off." She said.

"I know. I was wondering if you were ok. Are you ok?" I said.

"I'm fine," she said wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Anything else?" I nodded my head in response. "Well I'd like to be left alone then." I nodded again and the girl closed the door. I heard the lock click and left hesitantly.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N Sorry for the wait, writer's block and homework really hit me hard... But here it is! I should have chapter 6 up soon! Please review and enjoy! :)_

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Dennie POV

I had been sat for over twenty minutes, eager to get the meeting over and done with. Every so often teenagers would pass me in the hallway and give me weird looks. Was it something I was wearing? I know I had chosen smart clothes instead of my normal hoodie, jeans and purple converse combination, but that shouldn't warrant stares and muttering.

"Dennie Cooper?" A balding man asked. I nodded, stood up and followed him into his office. "I'm Principal Duncan; it's nice to meet you." He held out his hand for me to shake, but instead of shaking it I showed him my bandaged hand and smiled slightly. He chuckled and smiled and ushered me to sit down, I did. He reorganized a pile of papers on his desk before pulling out a folder, and then he looked right at me. "So, Dennie I see you've been to a lot of schools, can you tell me why?"

"Well, my dad's job, I guess." I muttered.

"What is your father's job?" Principal Duncan asked. I was sure he already knew, it should be in my file. He just wanted to hear me say it though.

"He's a Marine." I said. I was proud of my dad. Sure, I didn't like the fact that we moved a lot and he wasn't at home very much, but I loved him and he loved what he was doing.

"He's on a tour right now isn't he? He asked.

"Yeah, Afghanistan." I replied. He shuffled some papers around again.

"It must be hard for your mother as well." He stated. I could feel tears forming in my eyes. "Where is your mother, if you don't mind me asking?" He looked up from the papers on his desk. He saw my tear filled eyes and his expression softened.

"Well she, she died last year." I stammered whilst holding back the tears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." He consoled. We talked for another twenty minutes. We didn't go back to the subject of my family, we just talked about school. Principal Duncan put my class requests into the computer and came up with a schedule for me; he also said that I would start school on Monday. I checked my watch as I was leaving and saw that I only had fifteen minutes to get to the doctor's office. I was finally getting my hand looked at. I started to walk quickly down the hallway checking my watch every few seconds. When I wasn't looking I collided with another person, we knocked each other onto the floor.

"Sorry." I said quickly. He didn't say anything back; he was too busy trying to collect all of his things that were on the floor. I helped gather his things and when I handed the last book to him I got up and started walking away from the grey eyed, golden haired teenager.

"Thank you!" He yelled to me. A smile stretched across my face. I didn't turn around to look back at him; I had somewhere to be so I just kept walking.

I arrived at a crossing panting; my lungs still hadn't recovered from the smoke I inhaled days ago. I had run from the school to this crossing and I only got thirty seconds of rest before the walk signal flashed. I checked the road to see if anything was coming. It was all clear so I started to jog across the road. All of a sudden I heard sirens; I looked over to where the sirens were coming from and saw a big red fire truck speeding towards me. I froze.

Matt Casey POV

I woke up completely rested, I had the best sleep in days. Nothing disturbed me last night. There were no noises coming from either of my neighbours, no dogs barking and no loud music. It took me a few minutes to wake up but when I did I realised that I had less than an hour before shift started. I got showered and changed and set off for 51.

I pulled up to the firehouse to find that I was the last one to arrive. I put my bag in my locker, and then said hello to everyone whilst walking to the vehicles. I inspected the truck and made sure everything was where it was supposed to be and nothing was missing. When everything was checked over I went back inside. I grabbed two slices of toast and a mug of coffee, took them over to the table and sat beside Cruz and Shay who were just finishing their breakfasts.

"Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3. Traffic collision, Second and Greene." The voice over the speakers said. I abandoned my last piece of toast and the rest of my coffee and ran to the truck. Things were going normal in the truck until we were a block away from the accident. Cruz started muttering things under his breath when we turned a corner. When I looked at his face, it was overtaken by fear.

"Go." Cruz said. "Go." He said a little bit louder. "Go." He said again but louder still. His eyes didn't move from the road. "Go!" He yelled. The truck immediately started to slow down. I took my eyes off Cruz and focussed them on the road. A girl with brown hair jumped back slightly and ran off across the road. Cruz took a deep breath and put his foot down on the accelerator.

For the rest of the drive to the collision I thought about that girl in the road and the fact that her presence seemed familiar but I couldn't place her. I didn't see her features very clearly but there was something about her. We got to the accident and saw that the collision was between a school bus and minivan. I took a second and looked around for the girl that was usually at the scene of the incidents Truck was called out to, but the only things I knew to look for to tell me she was there was a green necklace, purple shoes and a hood pulled over her head as she ran away. She wasn't there, she never was.

"Mills! Cruz!" I yelled. "Come with me we'll check the bus. Everyone else goes with Severide." Everyone nodded in agreement. Mills and Cruz followed me over to the bus. I went inside slowly whilst they checked the stability of it. When I stepped inside I saw that the driver wasn't there, there were also no kids. I called Mills and Cruz over and told them about the driver and sent Mills to find him. Cruz told me that everything looked stable and fuel wasn't leaking, I told him to inform Kelly and his team and I went to help Mills.

"Lieutenant!" Mills yelled. He waved me over to where he was kneeling beside a building. He found the driver and we helped him up. We took him to an ambulance to get checked over and learned that he was coming back from dropping the kids off at school when he collided with the minivan. Everyone went into vehicles they needed to be in, whether it was a fire truck or an ambulance, and set off to their destinations.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N So hey there! I really hope you like this, I'm going to try and update once a week nut that depends on how much homework I have... So enjoy and please review :)_

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Dennie POV

_Orange hues lit the house but the smoke made it hard to see. A woman's screaming filled my ears. I lurched forward to go in the direction of the screaming but something held me back. I moved and squirmed to go forward, but the force pulling me back grew stronger. Emotions filled my head, a lump formed in my throat. I opened my mouth to call out to the woman stuck in the house but all that escaped my lips was a sob. I started crying uncontrollably and struggled again. Flames licked my skin fatigue grew on me. The force behind me gained control and pulled me away from the woman burning inside._

I woke suddenly. I sat up and looked around the room. I was safe here, but that dream was horrifying. Then I realised, it wasn't just a dream it was a memory. Sadness overwhelmed me and tears rolled down my cheeks. I ran to the bathroom and splashed water on my face trying to calm myself down. After a few minutes of crying and yelling at my own reflection, I dried my face and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

I ran downstairs after getting dressed in search of food. I grabbed an apple and put it back down when I saw my phone on the counter. I called the bank and told them about the medical bills that needed to be paid and the fact that my parents weren't here to help and I didn't know what to do. The person from the bank on the other end of the phone call was extremely calm and understanding. She told me to come to the bank and we would sort it all out, all I had to bring was the medical bill statement and proof of identity. I told her I would be there in half an hour.

I put my phone back on the counter and ran to the living room. I spotted the bill on the bookshelf beside the TV unit. After grabbing it I raked through the drawers on the unit and found my passport. I ran to the front door whilst telling Atlas and Calypso that I would take them out for a walk when I got back. I stepped outside and was greeted by a cold breeze. I was glad I had decided to put on my yellow hoodie. The wind made my ears cold so I put up my hood hopeful that it would block the wind from attacking my ears. I wasn't far from the bank when I passed a familiar street. I looked at the street sign which read Northridge Avenue. I immediately thought about the kids that were in that fire and wondered if they were ok. I didn't have time to stop for a chat though; I had to get to the bank.

I walked for another two blocks before turning into a street that would put me in the direction of the bank. There was a burning smell in the air. I quickly looked around for the source. Four houses in front of me there was a house spewing out smoke. Instinct took over and I ran to the house whilst feeling my pockets for my phone. It wasn't in any of my pockets. I ran to the house next door and banged as hard as I could until a lady opened the door. I ran to the house on fire leaving the lady yelling at me to come back.

I walked in with my head low. I looked around and saw a man sitting on the third step of the staircase holding a knife. There was banging and yelling coming from upstairs. I ran over to the man to try and make him go outside, he glared at me and snarled. He wasn't going to move willingly. I grabbed hold of his arm and tried to pull him up, he was heavier and stronger than me, and he swatted me away. He was on a suicide mission I couldn't let him do that. Without wasting time I ran up to him and knocked the knife out of his hand kicked him in the ribs. I ran up the stairs and left him writhing on the floor. I went into what seemed like the master bedroom and saw a chair jammed under the door handle of the closet. As soon as I removed the chair the doors burst open. The woman that was in the closet ran straight into my arms. I ran hand in hand with her down the stairs. When we got to the bottom the man was blocking the front door, but it wasn't shut. I brought my foot up and kicked him in the ribs again as hard as I could. He stumbled backwards and fell down the woman let go of my hand and ran over to him. She slapped him a few times as I slipped past them, pulling my hood back up, and ran up the street in the direction of the bank past three fire trucks and an ambulance.

Matt Casey POV

The sun was up when I awoke from my light sleep. The whole time I was asleep I was tossing and turning. I got out of the bed in my office and followed the smell of bacon and toast. I liked having Mills on the team; let's face it he was a great cook. As I walked into the kitchen area Mills handed me a plate full of food which made my mouth water and my stomach growl. I gratefully took the plate and grabbed a cup of hot coffee on the way to the table. I sat next to Otis and an empty seat with Severide across from me. I ate the food quickly as if I had never eaten a meal like it. I stayed at the table reading the newspaper and drinking my coffee. I yawned every now and then whilst looking through the paper.

"Rough night?" Severide asked. I looked over the paper at him. "You seemed tired." He said. I just shrugged and went back to reading the paper.

When I was finished with my coffee and the paper I got up to put my dishes in the sink. As I placed my dishes in the sink Pouch came over and sat on my feet. "You want to play?" I asked the fun loving mutt. In response she barked and ran to the door. We walked into the apparatus bay and Pouch brought me her ball. I took it from her and threw it; she chased it and brought it right back. I threw the ball a few more times before Kelly piped up.

"Casey man," He said. "What's going on with you?" I frowned at his question. "It's not like you to," He started but chiming interrupted him.

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3. Residential fire 56 Trent Road." The voice informed us. I ran to the bay doors and hit the buttons making each door rise. I ran to get suited up; Severide was already in his vehicle. When everyone was in the truck we set off for Trent Road.

A strange feeling took over my stomach when I saw we had passed Paloma Crescent. It grew even more when a few streets later we passed Northridge Avenue. I had a feeling that the girl would be coming out of the house when we got to the site. We turned into Trent Road and I immediately saw a person wearing a bright yellow hoodie run past. It was the girl I could just feel it, I didn't see her face or her hair because her hood was up but I just knew. I looked in the side view mirror to see where she ran to. She was at the end of the street just turning left around the corner. She didn't look back at all.  
We got out of the truck and took in the scene. Smoke was billowing out of the front door. A woman ran straight up to me.

"That girl!" She said. "That girl saved us."

"She wore a necklace with a green pendant right?" I asked, trying to confirm my suspicions. The lady nodded her head and shot me a questionable look. "Here, this lady will check you over ok?" I said leading her to Shay. Again she nodded. I turned to my men. "Ok guys, Otis get the aerial up, Cruz, Mills vent the roof, and the rest of us will take the inside." Everyone did as I told them. The guys from engine brought in the hose with Severide's team assisting and my team got the place vented without a hitch.  
Everyone had left the site within an hour. Our shift was over in 15 minutes. When we got back we tidied up the truck and our gear, made sure the truck was filled up and equipment was where it needed to be. By the time that was all done shift was over so I got my bag from my locker and headed for my truck. I had just put my keys in the door of the truck when someone tapped my shoulder.

"Something's up with you Matt." A deep voice said. I spun around to see Kelly staring daggers at me.

"What do you mean Severide?" I asked.

"Oh come on Matt you know what I mean." He responded.

"Enlighten me then." I said more harshly than I intended.

"You haven't been the same since this girl started showing up at fires. You're showing up later than usual, you're tired all the time, you're always distracted and you aren't really talking to anyone!" He said firmly.

"Kelly, it's my life. It has nothing to do with you." I stated.

"You're wrong. It does have something to do with me. We work together, we're supposed to make decisions quickly and you can't when you're distracted or tired. It could cost us both our men!" He yelled. He stared at me for a moment and when I didn't say anything he turned and stormed off. I knew he was right and that he was trying to look out for us all. I slipped into my truck and started driving home.


End file.
